WAR OF POSITION

Manawatu Standard, Volume LXII, Issue 263, 6 October 1942, Page 2

WAR OF POSITION

3.45 P.M. EDITION

.STALINGRAD FIGHTING. (N.Z. Press Association—Copyright.) (Itec. 1.35 p.m.) LONDON, Oct. 5. No significant changes have occurred on the Stalingrad front in the past 24 hours. Slight Russian gains in the relief drive from the north-west, also in their drive south-west of the city, have offset even the slighter German gains

in the industrial area just inside

the city’s north-western edge

The north-west and south-west relief drives have already exercised an important effect by broadening the front, thus forcing the dispersal of the titanic German effort. Neither relief drive is likely to make spectacular progress. The fighting everywhere has settled down into relentless positional warfare, where neither side is able to gain ground except at heavy cost.

The Vichy radio, quoting Berlin, said that the German advance has slowed because the German High Command wishes to avoid “useless losses’ .

It is interesting to recall the broad aims publicised by the Russians and Germans a year ago. The Germans then claimed that they aimed at a speedy annihilation of the Russian armies by a super blitzkrieg, while the Russians grimly announced that they proposed to bleed the Germans to death. The events of the past two months suggest that Moscow, rather than Berlin, is able to claim that “operations arc proceeding according to plan”. The Germ tn reinforcements recently thrown against Stalingrad are known to include two infantry divisions and one tank division, making the total assaulting the city 35 divisions. 'Hie Russians are meeting the Luftwaffe offensive against Stalingrad, and in the past three days they have destroyed 92 German planes, including 44 shot down by anti-aircraft fire. The Russian advance at Rzhev followed a daylong battle in which they routed picked German troops under General von Hoffman The Russians captured a large amount of booty.